"Medfield Mills"

A Snippet of Medfield History

"Medfield Mills"

By Claire Shaw

"A mill was a critical component of early life in Medfield, and on the 16th of September in the year 1651, agreement was made by the selectmen to construct just such an building. It was to be built at a place described only as being “. . . upon the book that runneth on the east side of the South Plains . . .” (History of the Town of Medfield, 1651–1886, William S. Tilden)

The selectmen appointed one George Barber to run this mill with the somewhat surprising condition that he “. . . his heirs, and his successors, . . . maintain and keep in good preservation at his own charge said mill and dam after they be made and set down sufficient for the town’s use, provided it not be for want of water.” (Tilden) Barber, however, sold the mill in 1652 to Henry Adams for £70. A second mill, built beside the Boggestow Brook, was burned during King Philip’s raid, and a third, along the Charles River, burned in 1685.

The importance of mills in early colonial life cannot be understated. It supplied all the necessary flour for making bread, a staple of colonial families. The Kingsbury Grist Mill, constructed circa 1819 and shown in the photo, can be seen today on Route 27. It’s an outstanding example of Medfield’s early mills."